Notes: Thank you for the thoughtful reviews. I hope you all continue to read and enjoy this story of mine! Please review if you have any feedback, I like to take into consideration the thoughts of others. :)
"Clara…," Danny began cautiously, watching her warily as she got up to her feet and began to pace around the room. "What exactly are you implying?"
"I'm saying, I'm saying," Clara started as she created circles around the room, tapping her finger against the side of her elbow as she started to formulate her thoughts. "What if. That prisoner that's in the DALEK containment facility knows where she's gone. He knows where Maebh's been taken and he can help us find her." There was a glimmer of hope that shined in her eyes as Clara whirled around to face Danny directly. "Danny –we might even be able to save all of the other children that were taken!" After all, they must have all been taken to the same place. If she could give even a clue as to what was in store outside of the walls of her Sector, maybe they'd be able to reunite all of the other children with their families.
She could make things right for once.
"Okay," Danny's voice broke into her train of thought as he got up to his feet to stand right in front of Clara. Almost hesitantly, he placed both of his hands on her shoulders, bending down slightly to look at her in the eye. "Clara, I know that you're upset," He started remorsefully. "But…you have to understand that we can't just waltz into the DALEK facility. We don't even know who it is that's being kept in there, what if they're an actual criminal? That will kill you on sight, and then where will Sector 3-C be without its fantastic teacher?"
A low sigh escaped him as he added, "And what if you're right? If, let's say we manage to break into the facility. Hypothetically, and let's say the prisoner came from one of the upper sectors. Who's to say they'd be willing to help out? What benefit would they even get? Can you say that it's worth the risk?"
Reality came crashing down to her as Clara found truth behind Danny's words. Her shoulders slumped slightly, disappointment clearly evident in her figure. She knew that to some extent, his words were right. Who was to say any of her ideas would come to fruition? It was a dangerous gamble to sneak into the DALEK which was heavily guarded and housed a dangerous person. There was too much on the line but…
But she couldn't forget the face of the smiling girl who stayed behind frequently to help her tidy up the room. Or the girl who looked as if her birthday came early every time they were able to begin reading a new book. Not just Maebh but all of the other children that had been unfairly snatched away from their lives for the sake of the upper sectors. It was unjust, it was unfair. It was something she would not, could not stand for.
"You're wrong." Clara looked up at Danny squarely in the eyes with her jaw set and her expression firm. "Maebh, no, every child is worth the risk. I may not have realized it then but now I know. And I know that this cycle has got to stop." She brushed off Danny's hands away before sticking up her chin defiantly at the man.
"I intend to stop it. It's a gamble every time that bell sounds and someone's daughter or son gets taken away. If it's a gamble to see whether or not the person in DALEK can help us, then so be it." Lest she die trying than to allow this to continue any further. "Whether you help me or not doesn't matter. But I intend to fight." She must have looked pretty furious because Danny had backed away slowly from her. But it didn't bother her, not really, because it must have meant that her words must have shaken the man.
And it must've because he let out an exasperated sigh. "You're really something aren't you, Miss Oswald?" He started before a grudging smile worked its way onto his face. There was a look of adoration in his eyes before he gave a nod. "Okay. You don't have to do this alone, I'll support you. What kind of person would I be if I let you launch headfirst into the prison camp and get caught?" Before Clara could protest, he held up his hands.
"I have…let's say, some experience with doing these sorts of things. Did some prank stuff as a kid so," He shrugged his shoulders as an explanation. "And plus, I've got friends who could help. But we'll need a plan."
A grateful smiled blossomed across Clara's face as she bobbed her head. It was reassuring to know that Danny was onboard. And good to have him because she knew that, even if she said that she would take on the challenge herself, it would be near impossible to do so.
But now, the impossible wasn't so impossible anymore. The seeds of the rebellion had started to be sowed, right in the heart of one teacher's home.
Clara walked quietly along the main path near DALEK, sneaking between the shacks near the facility to avoid being caught by one of the Overseer's line of sight. She had been careful to wear darker clothing to blend in with the darkness of the evening. As she reached the part of the fence that Danny had pointed out to her earlier in the day, she quickly swooped in to hide somewhere closer to it. Like he had said, it had been slightly mangled perhaps from an accidental brawl or escape attempt in the past. But it hasn't been repaired and there was a small opening in one side of it; an opening that she doubted anyone could fit through.
Anyone…if it weren't for her own petite size.
"There's a corner of the fence that's been badly damaged. They've never noticed it because no one ever walks in that direction but there's just enough space for one body to fit through. Not easily of course but given your size…you're probably squeeze through just fine."
Clara waited patient, crouching down at the ground of the fenced area as she waited for the next signal. It didn't take long before the whistling of a man caught her attention and she snapped her head up to see Danny strutting down the path. Suddenly, a sharp clang sounded as something was thrown up against the fence and a yelp sounded from him as he ducked yet another can that was tossed at him.
"PINK!" A screeching voice sounded as another woman marched towards him from the shadows, livid with anger. "Do you have any idea what time it is? Its lights out, you're not supposed to be out here! What are you doing?"
"Then I'll be walking down the path by the fence, on the opposite end of you. Journey here -you met her before, didn't you?- will follow after me and then try to start a commotion. Maybe I missed the curfew or something. We'll take the attention off of you and that's when you can probably make your way into the facility undetected."
It definitely caught the attention of the Overseers as many had surged up to the location of where the can had made impact and traced it back to where both Journey and Danny were arguing. One of the Overseers had started forward before its mechanical voice broke into their words.
"SILENCE. WE WILL NOT ALLOW DISPUTES SO CLOSE TO OUR PREMISE. LEAVE NOW OR WE WILL BE FORCED TO DELETE YOU."
That was the last signal. Clara realized as she scanned the rest of the facility that was devoid of all of the guards. It looked as if both Blue and Pink had managed to catch the Overseers' attention. No time to waste, Clara instantly sprang forward, squeezing between the parts of the fence that weren't attached and began to run straight towards the entrance of the facility. Without any guards nearby, there was an eerie quietness to dark and desolate containment facility.
Now actually taking a closer look, it was less of a prison then she expected than a completely empty facility. The walls were black and there was barely any light besides a few dim light bulbs that lit the way. She grimaced as she made her way down, doing her best to avoid any potential confrontation inside the hallway. Especially not with any Overseer.
She needed to find that prisoner, just that one. But what was even odder about was that there was no prisoner in sight; regardless of the amount of blank rooms that covered the facility. They were all empty. Devoid of any signs of life. Yet that couldn't be possible. Something, someone had to be in the facility or why else would the Overseers watch over an entire DALEK facility?
Her suspicions were confirmed as she reached the final end of the hall where there was a black splattering of a 'HUMANS GO AWAY' scribble across one of the doors. Piquing her curiosity, Clara made her way towards the door, her hand grasping the knob tightly. She could feel her heart beating loudly in her chest, a fleeting sense of fear passing through her as she slowly began to turn the knob.
It could all come crashing down now (because of anything, it could be an overseer behind the door or maybe the prisoner wouldn't even care to listen to her) but she had to do it. She had to try. Taking a deep breath, she quickly flung open the door.
She had always wondered just what sort of person could live in an enclosure for a very long time. But now she knew.
The room was much more lit up than the hallway, it looked like a junkyard with bits of pieces of different objects strewn across the floor and piled up into different groups on one side of the wall. Really, it was hard to step through the floor because of the amount of stuff that covered the ground; she could barely see the floors. Her arm accidentally brushed against one of the piles and a small object, it looked like a can opener, had been dislodged and made a loud clang as it crashed to the ground.
"You should really be careful. You don't belong here so don't make a mess of things."
Clara froze when she heard the voice, coming from behind her. She slowly turned her body to face the direction of where it was coming from and came face to face with the owner of the voice.
He towered above her –maybe even taller than Danny- with a head of silver and an almost murderous expression on his face. Or maybe that was just the eyebrows, Clara looked at the man closely as he hovered a few feet away. Because it didn't look like he was going to kill her anytime. Which was a relief more than anything else.
"You're not supposed to be here," He said flatly with a distinct accent to his words. "Who let you in here?"
"I…," Clara started slowly, unsure of how to phrase it. She didn't really expect that it would work out to this point. But there was a veiled threat behind his words and she clenched her hand tightly before looking straight at him. "I need your help." The man raised an eyebrow at her sudden request, but the rest of his features remained expressionless. "Why would I help you?"
"You're an interesting woman for waltzing into my room without permission. And asking me for help as well…Why should I help you?" In a quick flash, he had crossed the short distance between the two of them, reaching out to grab Clara's arm tightly in a grip that prevented her from escaping. With his other hand, he placed a finger right across her lips and leaned forward, so closely that she could see every detail of his piercing blue eyes.
"One word. You can tell me, in one word, why I'd even consider helping you. Explain to me, why I would help you." He paused for a moment before smirking as he removed his finger. "You're thinking it is impossible that such a word exists or that you could even find it."
In her mind, that was exactly what was running through it. What could she say, how could she ever hope to encompass everything that had just happened in just a single, insignificant word? She might not even know if the men standing before him, if he could even help her at all. What if he wasn't who she wanted?
But then she thought about Maebh.
"Children." She spoke quietly and perhaps that was the key. The right word because it seemed as if his interested had piqued with the way his eyebrows both raised and he made a small 'oh' expression on his face. They were both silent for a few moments before he made a small motion with his hands, a gesture implying that she should follow him.
He navigated her through the room, amidst the junk to lead her to a cleaner section of the room, but not by much. A futon was tossed to one side and the bed looked unkempt but he had flopped down on top of it. Clara wasn't sure whether or not it would be appropriate for her to sit right by his side, especially on his bed, so she stood nervously in front of him instead. Besides, it was better to stand, especially because she could appraise him more carefully at a distance. He wasn't who she had envisioned as someone who belonged in a facility like DALEK but suffice to say, she knew next to nothing about him. It was too early to judge.
"Children," He echoed her words from earlier back at her and looked up at her carefully. "Okay. Now explain to me, in detail, what's going on." So Clara began to re-tell the events of what had happened in the Sector, the bells and alarms that signalled for the children to be collected and some were taken away, never to be seen again. It could've been her imagination but she swore she saw a flicker of something haunting in his eyes as she spoke but it was immediately replaced by a different look.
"So why now? If it's been happening for quite some time?" He asked and Clara shot the man a weak smile. "Because someone close to me was taken. And I just can't stand by and watch her be ripped away from her mother. I can't see that happen anymore. It's hard to fight back against the Overseers because they don't feel anything, they just inflict punishment." She shrugged her shoulders.
"And here…in this sector, there's a rumor that you're from Sector 1-A." Surprise flickered across the man's face and before she could continue, he harshly said, "Who told you that?"
Clara was surprised for a moment, so surprised even that she took a step back. "A…someone," She frowned, shaking her head, "It's a rumor in the Sector. Not sure where it's originated from." It wasn't an answer that it seemed like he was satisfied with but she didn't know how else to respond. He let out a low sigh, "Well, the rumors are right for a change. I'm from that particular Sector. I was exiled when I tried to rebel against the current leader. That's why I'm here," He waved away a hand around his surroundings. "It's not terrible. Food could be better."
It was a glimmer of hope in Clara's eyes as she listened to his words but before she could say anything, he held up a finger. "You need to be less trusting. You don't even know who I am. What if I tried to rebel against the leader because I wanted to demolish this Sector?" A look of horror crossed Clara's features before the man chuckled. "No, that would be stupid. I'm not aiming for genocide. I had a difference of opinion with the leader and so here I am."
"Whatever you did in the past, that doesn't matter," Clara insisted. "You're here now. And I imagine that…you still don't like what Sector 1-A is up to?" He hesitated for a moment before giving a small nod. "If you help take us to Sector 1-A, we can ensure that you escape from here and Sector 3-C. What you do in Sector 1-A is up to you but I'm determined to save Maebh and all of the other children."
A chuckle escaped the man, his shoulders shaking from laughter. "You are quite the insistent lady. Tell me then, if you're so sure of how this is going to proceed…am I a good man?" His question was followed by immediate silence as Clara stared, dumbfounded and confused at his question. He reiterated. "Am I a good man?"
"I don't know." What else could Clara reply with? Regardless of how he acted, she couldn't possibly know –or care- about whom he used to be. How was she allowed to judge a man based on the few minutes she had even known him? Besides, she hasn't even asked him for his name yet.
He shrugged his shoulders, "Well, I expected that at the very least. You're honest about it, anyways. Right," The man got up to his feet, clapping his hands together. "You have my assistance up to and to the point of when we find the children. Afterwards, I'm not obliged in the slightest to help you." Clara gave a nod of agreement. Those were fair terms. That's all she could have ever asked or hoped for.
He reached into his jacket pocket before retrieving a small pen-like object. Flickering it on, it let out a low buzzing noise and a green light shined at the tip as he pointed it at the wall behind his bed. A grumble sounded before a small opening became revealed from the walls. He must've noticed Clara's surprise because he quickly explained. "I've had a lot of time to kill. It's not that difficult to figure out how to escape this place, I mean, you got in quite easily for a small fry. I just never saw the point of leaving this place and entering Sector 3-C. It would cause quite a commotion in your community. But I expect that you know how to hide me from prying eyes?"
Clara thought back to her home which was only visited by two-no one person. The one person who also was helping her break the prisoner out of the DALEK. She gave a nod of her head. "We've got a place, yeah," She said before he smiled broadly at her.
"Excellent. You've got a good head on your shoulders, we'll get on fabulously." He began his way to crawl through the opening on the wall, becoming engulfed in the darkness of the makeshift tunnel. Clara hesitated for a flicker of a second, just as she was about to follow suit. He seemed too good to be true, the ease at which he readily agreed to help. She worried that it was all a trap –because it could be-, she didn't even know who he was.
But she didn't have time to mull about it any further or even ask for his name before an insistent tone echoed through the tunnel. "Come on!"
So Clara pushed the last dredges of doubt to the back of her mind, shook her head to clear her thoughts and followed him into the darkness.
